glow
by alivingfantasy
Summary: It's Spencer's birthday, and Toby is determined to make her his once and for all. Spoby fluff. Twoshot.
1. Part I

**-glow-**

**-:-**

**PART I**

The digital alarm clock's digits glowed neon green in the dark room: 4:48.

Toby Cavanaugh rolled over in the Queen-sized bed in his Rosewood apartment, gently shaking his sleeping girlfriend, who lay peacefully next to him, buried under a worn threadbare blanket.

"Spence? Spencer…" he cooed. "Wake up, sweetheart."

"Mmmfffguhn…" Spencer grumbled stubbornly, which he took to be sleep language for _leave me the hell alone. _He shook her, a little harder this time. "Come on, wake up. Please, Spence? It's important."

"Toby?" she muttered, groping around to find the lamp switch in the dark room. "What…ugh…time is it?"

"Four forty-nine," he responded sheepishly, steeling himself for the outrage he was sure to receive from Spencer for waking her up at such an ungodly hour.

"_Four forty-nine? _In the _morning? _Toby! You know I require my beauty sleep in order to keep from being a fire-breathing dragon!" Spencer wailed, lifting her head from the pillow to shoot him a glare. Toby couldn't help but smile, noting how beautiful she looked with her bed head of dark curls, flushed cheeks, and raised voice.

"To me, you'd look beautiful no matter what," he reassured her gently, reaching for the lamp and flicking it on. His response seemed to mollify her for a moment. But only for a moment.

"Okay then, pretty boy, you gonna tell me why in God's name I'm up right now?"

He laughed. "Wait for it…three…two…one…"

The clock's digital numbers moved from 4:50 to 4:51, and Toby grinned brightly. "Happy birthday, Sweetheart! I love you!" he kissed his stunned girlfriend on the cheek, then pulled back to see her reaction, nervous.

Her mouth opened and closed a few times but no sound came out. Speechless. Spencer Hastings was speechless. _Damn, I'm good, _he thought.

"Toby…" she said finally, shaking her head. "I. Love you. So much."

Then she tackled him into a kiss.

His hands tangled through her mussed hair as their lips collided passionately. Even after years of dating, for them, every kiss was just like the first one all over again.

Spencer was now in her third year of college, while Toby had a manager's position at a construction company. The couple had been living together in Toby's apartment since the summer after Spencer's senior year, and after all the problems they'd endured, were still as strong and in love as ever.

They both pulled back to breathe, and Toby cupped Spencer's cheek. "I thought you were going to murder me right here," he laughed breathlessly, trailing a fingertip down her cheekbone.

"I thought about it." She smirked, "But…waking me up the exact time I was born twenty years ago to say happy birthday? It is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me, Toby."

_Hopefully by tonight, it'll be the second sweetest, _he thought, feeling a whole new wave of trepidation go through him. "You deserve it," he murmured, kissing her head. "I love you."

"I love you too. So, so much." Her mocha-colored eyes bore into his turquoise blue ones, reminding him of the first time their gazes ever really locked, a whole other lifetime ago, on a porch with a million questions left unanswered and misjudgments and desperation suffocating them.

She kissed him lightly, and he crawled back down under the blankets, beckoning her beside him. She lay down, turning off the lamp as she went, settling her head against his bare chest, snuggling up close to him. "Mmmm…I think this will be the best birthday ever," she gushed, and he smiled at the happiness in her voice. He loved hearing her sound that happy.

"I hope so, darling. Now go to sleep. Tomorrow's your day," he told her, laying a kiss on her nose.

He gently stroked her hair as her breathing slowly evened to the steady pant of sleep. Suddenly, when he was sure she was almost asleep, he heard her whisper, "I love you."

He glanced down, softly brushing a stray piece of hair from her eyes. "I love you too, Spencer. More than you'll ever know."

Then she was asleep, and he held her, rocking her, looking down at her lovingly. He tenderly stroked her beautiful face, remembering all the times they'd spent together, from their conversations on his porch, to their first kiss, to their first "I love you"s, to their first time, to the day they moved in together, to every kiss in the truck, every smile, every laugh, every second they'd ever been together. All of it had been magical, beautiful, indescribable. He honestly could not imagine life without Spencer. She was his one and only true love. His life. His everything.

Unable to join her in sleep, he carefully reached into the drawer on the bedside table, pulling out a small black velvet box.

Opening it carefully, he glanced at the sparkly Tiffany's diamond ring nestled inside of it. Tonight. Tonight his life would become whole.

If she said yes, that was.

He remembered the day he'd called the Hastings' to ask, the month before. It had been one of the most nervewracking experiences of his life.

_Toby reached for the phone, quickly dialing the all-too-familiar number before he lost his nerve. Calling the parents to ask for their blessing was ridiculously old-school, but Toby was a gentleman. A very scared, extremely agitated gentleman._

_One ring. Two. Three. By the time the phone was answered on the fifth ring, he has practically sweated through his shirt._

"_Hello?" Veronica Hastings's clipped voice came on the line._

"_Hello, Mrs. Hastings. Uh, it's me." _ Real smooth, Toby.

"_Toby? Is everything alright? Is Spencer okay?" the older woman demanded in concern._

"_Yes. Spencer's fine. She's, er, at a class."_

"_Oh." Mrs. Hastings seemed relieved. "But something tells me you're not calling to chat, eh?"_

_Toby flushed. "Um, no. I mean, yes. I mean…"_

_Mrs. Hastings laughed. "Out with it, Toby. What are you so nervous about asking me, mmm?" _

Oh, God, how do I do this? _"Um, well, Spencer and I…we've been together going on four years now," he said finally, "And they've been the best four years of my life. Mrs. Hastings, I love Spencer with all of my heart, and I think she miraculously feels the same way. My whole life—my world—became whole when I met her, and-"_

"_Toby," Mrs. Hastings interrupted. "You're asking to marry my daughter, aren't you?" _

_He reddened all over again. "Yes." He said finally. "I am."_

_Silence. Just when he was bracing himself for the 'no', Veronica spoke again. _

"_Toby, you are a great man. Kind, honest, trustworthy. And anyone with eyes can see how much you and Spencer adore each other," she said slowly. "And my daughter deserves someone like you, someone who loves her, and who she loves just as much. As a mother, I cannot possibly deny her that. You have my blessing."_

_It took him a minute to register 'you have my blessing' before it hit him. She said yes. She actually said yes. _

"_Thank you so much," he said in relief. Then another thought hit him. "Mr. Hastings-"_

"_He agrees. We both consider you the best possible man for our daughter, and we both wholeheartedly accept you into our family," she replied graciously._

"_Thank you. You have no idea how happy your acceptance has made me, Mrs. Hastings." _

"_Please," Mrs. Hastings laughed. "Call me Veronica. You're practically family now."_

"_Okay…Veronica," it sounded funny coming out of his mouth, but he figured he would get used to it._

After getting off the phone with _Veronica_, he called Aria, Emily, and Hanna to make plans for the big proposal, finally deciding to ask after Spencer's birthday party, planned by her three best friends, on the eve of her birthday.

And, needless to say, he was terrified.

Spencer stirred slightly and he panicked, shoving the ring box closed and into the drawer. Hiding the ring from his girlfriend—and keeping the secret of his proposal—had proven itself a difficult task, but so far he was almost certain Spencer didn't know about his plans.

Spencer murmured his name in her sleep, reaching for his hand. He closed his fingers around hers, laying a kiss on her temple. "Sleep, sweetheart." She obliged, drifting off again. Suddenly, Toby's phone, sitting on the bedside table, trilled, and he winced, glancing back down at Spencer. Thankfully, she was still asleep.

He grabbed the phone and opened the message in slight annoyance.

**T-minus 15 hrs, loverboy. U ready? –Hanna**

_**Not really. Any hints? –Toby**_

**Smile :) relax, pls. shes crazier bout u than she is bout her daily 5 gallons of caffeine ;)**

_**Thanks. See you the party:)–Toby**_

As he put his phone down, he wondered idly why Hanna was up at five in the morning, being even less of a morning person than Spencer. She was probably planning her outfit for that night. And Emily's. And Aria's. And Caleb's. And the greater Pennsylvania area's.

Spencer opened one eye, yawning as he turned his phone off. "Who was that?" she asked groggily.

"Hanna," he asked, avoiding her gaze. "Asking what I'm wearing to the party tonight."

Spencer rolled her eyes affectionately. "That sounds like Hanna." She half sat up, holding out her hand. "Come here," she murmured. He crawled back in beside her and the two of them held each other, occasionally whispering 'I love you' or kissing each other, but otherwise in silence.

Toby and Spencer both finally drifted back off to sleep around seven a.m., and when the alarm went off at 8: 15, Spencer groaned. "Five more minutes," she begged before Toby could even begin to attempt to coax her out of bed.

"Fine," he replied, kissing her forehead. It was her birthday; she deserved to sleep in, especially after he had interrupted her slumber the night before. "I'll go make breakfast," he told her.

"Mmm-hmm." She mumbled into the pillow. He stifled a smile, throwing on his cotton T-shirt and heading to the kitchen.

A few moments later, he returned, bearing a breakfast tray with Spencer's favorite granola, an orange, a blueberry muffin, a copy of the _Rosewood Observer, _and, of course, a mug of steaming black coffee. Spencer sat up in bed, her brown eyes opening fully.

"Toby…breakfast in bed?" she asked, arching her brows, although he did it every year.

"Tradition," he kissed her softly. "My way of reminding you how much I love you."

"As if I could ever forget." She smiled, kissing him gently. "I love you."

"I know," he grinned. "Now relax. Eat. Today's all about you. And your party is tonight, so make sure you look as beautiful as always, okay?"

"Speaking of my party…" Spencer took a sip of coffee before continuing, "Are you sure Aria, Em, and Hanna remembered everything? Like, there won't be a catering crisis or a lack of party favors, right?"

Toby laughed. For someone like Spencer, who was used to being in charge of everything, letting anyone else control anything worried her. He found that quality both amusing and adorable.

"Yes, Sweetheart, I'm sure," he said, smoothing her hair. "Let Aria, Emily, and Hanna do this for you, okay? You have to trust them. Just relax."

"I do trust them!" Spencer sighed. "It's just…I hate when I'm not fully in control of something. It scares me, you know? I feel like handling things is my _job_."

"Sweetie, your only job today is to be happy. Relax. Whatever you want, it's yours, okay? It's a day to celebrate _you_."

Spencer smiled a little. "What if I want you?"

He kissed her. "I'm already yours, remember? Now eat. Then whatever you want to do, we'll do it."

"Thank you." She kissed his cheek. "And thank you for being the sweetest person on the planet."

He kissed her head. "I'm gonna go shower. I'll be back in a minute, okay?"

"Okay."

As he headed to their bathroom, he paused in the doorway. "Spence?"

"Yeah?"

The words were on the tip of his tongue. The question, _will you marry me? _He wanted to tell her right then and there, because he couldn't wait twelve hours. But what came out was, "Happy Birthday, baby."

She smiled brightly. "Thank you. Now go shower so I can eat in peace!" she grinned, and he laughed, "Okay, I'm going."

In the bathroom, he closed the door and pulled out his phone, which he had grabbed before leaving the room.

_**Everything set? –Toby**_

**Yup. 2nite will be perfect! –Hanna**

_Yes. Just cnfrmed w caterer. Everything's a go. Good luck 2nite btw. Not that u'll need it! Spence will be so excited! –Aria_

Yes. And relax. Everything will be fine. -Emily

Toby sighed, turning to face the mirror, to look at his own face—chestnut waves, deep dimples, piercing blue eyes—and practice. Practice what he would say to the love of his life in T-minus eleven hours and thirty-nine minutes.

"_I love you with all my heart. Will you marry me?"_


	2. Part II

**A/N: So here's part 2! Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed/favorited/alerted so far! It means so much to me! In this part, there will be some Haleb (because they're _almost _as awesome as Spoby, lol) and, of course, the proposal, which, be forewarned, is extremely cheesy…because I guess that's how I roll ;)**

**Okay, done babbling. Here is part two of _glow:_**

-:-

**PART II**

Spencer eyed her reflection critically in one of the eight wall-to-wall mirrors in the gold and mauve-decorated dressing room at Saks. She placed her hand on her hip, pivoting slightly, the chiffon skirt of the lemon yellow party dress she had on ballooning out. The eight replica-Spencers did the same in perfect synchrony. Spencer blew out a sigh, turning to face her three expectant best friends, who were splayed out on the gold mini couch in the center of the spacious fitting room, listening to Hanna's iPod, which was blasting Fergie's "Glamorous."

"Well?" Hanna asked impatiently, her baby blue irises peering into her brunette friend's mocha ones.

Spencer shook her head. "Nope."

Aria sat up, putting down her copy of _Us Weekly_, taking in Spencer's appearance. "But you look great!" She protested.

Aria, Emily, Hanna, and Spencer had been attempting to find Spencer's birthday dress for the past three hours, key word being _attempting_ because they were not having a lot of luck. If Spencer liked it, Hanna dismissed it as stuffy. If Aria liked it, Spencer called it busy. If Emily liked it, Aria said it was too plain. If Hanna liked it, Emily argued it was too _Golden Globes_. As much as the four girls adored each other, their conflicting styles made agreement on the dress of Spencer's dreams almost impossible.

However, the girls and Toby _had_ made Spencer's birthday as perfect as possible. After breakfast in bed and a shower…session with Toby, Aria, Emily, and Hanna had taken her to the salon to get her hair and nails done, giggling and gossiping and acting almost _normal_, something rare with their hectic, drama-filled lives. Then, after lunch at the Applerose Grille, the girls had dragged her to the mall for dress-shopping, where they still currently were.

"I look like a highlighter!" Spencer said in exasperation.

Aria giggled. "She kind of does." At the glare Emily and Hanna shot her, she protested, "I'm just being honest!"

"Next!" Hanna tossed a pale green frock at her.

"No," Emily shook her head. "Not Spencer."

"You haven't even seen her in it!

"Yeah, but look at the color! It washes her out," Emily replied pointedly. While Emily did prefer casual clothing, she did know all about color scheme, and even Hanna could admit that Emily had an eye for what looked good on people. And, Spencer thought, looking down at the pile of fabric in her arms, the color was a little…dry. In fact, it reminded her of vomit. Grimacing, she tossed the dress on the "reject" pile, situated on a fuchsia footstool.

Hanna rolled her eyes. "Fine." She reached into the pile of dresses she'd chosen, pulling out a midnight blue strapless dress. "How about this?"

"Oohhh, Spence, that one looks perfect for you!" Aria gushed, fingering the hem of the dress. It was a rich satin, with tiny beads sewn into the skirt and bodice. Beautiful, but…

Spencer eyed it skeptically. "I don't know. It's a little…daring, isn't it?"

"Oh, come on," Hanna replied, playfully nudging Spencer. "It's the big two-oh, for God's sake! Be bold!"

"Well, you won't know until you try it," Emily rationalized, twirling a strand of her dark hair around her index finger and smiling encouragingly at her friend.

With a muttered "Oh, alright", Spencer yanked off the bright yellow reject-dress and slipped the midnight blue gown over her head.

The dress fell to Spencer's knees, highlighting her legs and emphasizing her curves. The color made her chocolate-colored eyes pop, and she had to admit, she looked _good._

She smiled, flashing her dimples at the mirror, and the eight Spencers in the mirror smiled back at her.

Turning to face her friends, she asked, "What do you think?"

"Oh. My. God." Hanna said slowly, her blue eyes widening along with her smile. "Spence! You look gorgeous!"

"That dress was so made for you!" Aria agreed, jumping up to get a closer look. "It is amazing. You have to get it."

"It would be a crime to leave it here," Emily added, her olive green eyes sparkling.

"Do you think so?" Spencer asked, turning back to admire her reflection.

"Sweetie, I _know _so! It is made for you like chocolate was made for Hershey's!" Hanna effused.

"Okay, I get the feeling you're hungry," Aria affectionately squeezed Hanna's arm. The blonde swatted her away with a playful smile.

"Are you guys sure?" Spencer pressed, smiling at her blonde friend's ridiculous analogy.

"Yes! And I bet Toby will be, too," Hanna singsonged.

Spencer blushed. "Toby…"

"Will love you, like, ten times more in that dress," Aria pronounced. "If that's even possible."

"Yeah. Can't you see it? You and Toby waltzing, a million stars in the midnight sky, the air warm with promise and love, his arms around your waist…" Hanna smiled hugely, knowing she was reeling Spencer in.

Spencer smiled softly, thinking about Toby. About how he was always there for her, to love her and care for her and protect her, her rock and her safe place to land. She was his. He was hers. And she had to admit, the waltzing under the stars scenario didn't sound half bad…

"Uh, Spence? You're drooling," Hanna giggled. Spencer blushed a deeper shade of red.

"Okay, fine," she grinned, "I'll get it."

"Oh my God, tonight will be amazing!" Aria, Emily, and Hanna squeezed her into a quadruple hug, and she breathed in the scent of chlorine and marshmallow hand cream (Emily), Juicy Couture perfume and incense (Aria), and apple shampoo and Gucci body spray (Hanna). Her three best friends, who were there for her no matter what. Whether they were breaking into morgues to steal autopsy reports, or doing something as inconsequential as dress shopping, they were always right there by her side. Her _sisters._

As they walked out of Saks, Spencer toting her dress, carefully wrapped in tissue paper, their arms linked, Hanna commented, "That dress is especially perfect for tonight. It'll be so huge for-"

"Hanna!" Aria interrupted, realizing Hanna was about to blow the whole secret. "Um, I…uh, forgot my lip gloss in the ladies room. Can you come with me to find it?"

Hanna's glossy pink lips formed an O. "Um, sure," she replied sheepishly, understanding her mistake. "We'll meet you guys in the car!"

"What was that about?" Spencer asked Emily once the other two girls were out of earshot.

"What was what about?" Emily asked, hedging.

"You know. Aria and Hanna," Spencer responded impatiently.

"Ah…um, you know how those two are," Emily said nonchalantly. She nervously glanced at Spencer, hoping her suspicions hadn't been too roused.

Spencer didn't look convinced, but she didn't press the issue, either. "Let's get this stuff in the car," she said.

Emily let out a sigh of relief. For now, Spencer was still in the dark.

Pulling out her phone, she sent a quick text to Hanna:

Spill the beans much? –Emily

**I'm sorry! I just cant hide anything frm her. Shes my best friend. Do u think she knows somethings up? –Hanna **

Idk, but we have 2 be really careful. At least for the next 6 hrs.

**K. Promise. No more slipups till 2nite :)**

Emily sighed. In six hours, hopefully, two of her closest friends would be engaged.

If all went as planned, for once, of course.

-:- -:- -:-

Spencer stepped into the apartment she and Toby shared, carrying her bags. "Toby?" she called, slipping her key from the lock into her handbag and depositing it on the hook near the door. "I'm home!"

Toby appeared from the kitchen, wearing his usual sweet smile. "Hey, sweetheart," he said, leaning over to kiss her. "How was your day?"

"Great," she replied happily, weaving her fingers through his hair. "I had a lot of fun with the girls. Although shopping with Hanna can be a bit of a chore."

He laughed. "I'm glad you had fun," he answered, happy that she was happy. He kissed her again, slowly. "But I'm not glad that you left your adoring boyfriend all alone to miss you all day," he continued, mock-hurt.

"Oh, how_ever _will I be able to make it up to you?" Spencer cooed in faux-horror, leaning in so that their faces were inches, centimeters, millimeters away. He could taste her breath, feel her skin against his, and his heartbeat almost instantly palpitated.

"I can think of a few ways."

Then their lips collided, that same undeniable, indescribable spark they'd felt over and over for years washing over them. His hands tangled through her hair, her arms around his neck, the Saks bag forgotten, they kissed like they were still hopelessly-in-love teenagers in his truck. And in a way, they still were.

Finally, they pulled back for air, and he cupped her cheek breathlessly. "I love you."

He was overcome by her dazzling smile. "Does that mean my debt is paid?"

He laughed, "Yes, it is."

"Oh," she pouted slightly. "I kind of liked what we were doing." She gave him a tempting smile, batting her lashes and running a finger seductively down his arm.

"Spencer…are you trying to seduce me?"

"That depends: is it working?"

He chuckled softly, laying a kiss on the bridge of her nose. "Yeah," he admitted.

"Then yes," she kissed his cheek, "I am."

He smiled into her gorgeous dark eyes, smoothing her hair. "I really, really love you." And he did, so much. He wanted her to be his forever. Truly and really. Granted, they didn't need a twenty-five carat diamond and a piece of paper to prove it, but he wanted everyone to know. Nervously, his thoughts went, as they often had over the past month, to the sparkly little bauble in the box in his drawer. _Five and a half hours…_

"And I really, really love you, too." Spencer kissed him gently, then pulled back slightly to look at him. "Toby?"

"Yes, darling?" he smoothed a silky lock of her hair back from her face.

She shook her head. "I just…I want you to know," she said softly, "that you…you're my entire world. I love you so much, and whenever I feel like there's no possible way I could love you any more, you do something that makes me fall in love with you all over again. And I love that, how there's not even a name, or a word, to describe how I feel about you."

As she finished, her hand brushed gently across his cheek, and he swallowed, blinking back tears. Knowing that she felt that way about him meant the world to him. Especially hearing it now, when he was preparing to take a huge step in their relationship.

Wrapping her up in his arms, he kissed her forehead, her nose, and each cheek before finding her lips. "I love you, too. So, so, so much." He cradled her head against his shoulder, stroking her hair, for what simultaneously felt like two seconds and two years. Finally, she pulled back slightly, kissing his shoulder. "So how about me seducing you now?" she murmured.

He smiled. "And how, exactly," he asked, peering into her eyes, "do you intend to do that?"

"Like this."

Then, she proceeded to show Toby exactly why he'd fallen in love with her, and the rest of the oh-so perfect afternoon was a blur of bliss and love and sheets. Of heart-melting kisses and sweet nothings and pure, uninterrupted passion.

And Toby adored every minute of it.

-:- -:- -:-

Spencer gave her long, auburn curls one final pat before glancing into the mirror. Her mocha eyes were lined in kohl liquid liner, making them pop. Her soft taupe lipstick and barely-there blush and mineral foundation highlighted her natural beauty, and the dress she'd purchased from Saks was set off with a diamond cuff and chandelier earrings. She was ready to party.

She headed down the hall to find Toby so that they could head over to the Rosewood Country Club, where her birthday party was being held.

She found him standing by the door holding her cream wrap, waiting for her. His jaw all but hit the ground when he saw her.

_My God, she's beautiful, _he thought, taking in her beauty. To him, she was always gorgeous, but that night…she was stunning. It almost doubled his nervousness, the tiny black box burning a hole in the pocket of his pinstripe suit jacket.

"You-you look beautiful," he managed. She flashed him a smile that made his heart beat faster.

"Thank you," she said, kissing his cheek. "You don't look half bad yourself."

"So you ready for your night?" he asked, tenderly stroking her fingers.

"Yes. I'm ready to have fun," she beamed.

"Good," he kissed her. Helping her into her wrap, he whispered, "I'll be the envy of every guy at that party."

She shook her head slightly. "They can envy you all they want. I'm all yours."

He kissed her ring finger, sending a skittering surge of attraction through her.

"And I'm yours."

-:- -:- -:-

Hanna was not used to hiding things from Spencer. After all they'd endured together, it was now almost impossible to keep a secret from her, even more so because Spencer _knew _when someone was hiding something, and knew Hanna better than she sometimes knew herself.

Hanna sighed. She was running through last-minute preparations for Spencer's party. The food had arrived, Aria's iDock was set up, the cake was perfect and set up, the dance floors were clear, and the guest list was finalized, everybody VIPing 'yes'. So far, so good.

"Hey," a familiar voice said from behind her.

Hanna turned, the skirt of her violet one-shouldered dress swishing around her ankles, to see Caleb leaning against the wall, wearing a black suit with a violet tie to match Hanna's dress and his signature smirk.

"Hey!" She kissed his cheek. "What's up?"

"Not much," he shoved his hands into his pockets. "I just got off the phone with Toby. He's freaking out about popping the question."

Hanna sighed. "I know. I wish there was some easy way to convince him there's nothing to worry about. I mean, we all know Spencer's gonna say yes."

Caleb nodded. "He really cares about her. He wants her to have the best birthday possible, and that's what's eating at him. He said they're on their way…"

Hanna felt her stomach sink. "Now?" she croaked.

Caleb rolled his eyes, "No, next Wednesday. Yes, now."

She smacked his arm. "Not funny!"

"Why? Everything looks good in here," he said, glancing around to admire Hanna, Aria, and Emily's handiwork. "Where are the other girls?"

"Aria's with Mr. Fitz outside—I'll leave that to your imagination—and Em's talking to the caterers."

"Well, then," Caleb said, pulling her closer. "I'd say that means we have some time to kill."

Hanna grinned, standing up on tiptoe to kiss him, as the iDock cued up "Teenage Dream."

After all, she thought, Spencer wasn't the only one with a Prince Charming.

She hadn't done so bad herself.

-:- -:- -:-

Two hours later, Spencer's party was in full-swing. A hundred guests wafted around the airy party room, sampling the tiny hors d'oeuvres, dancing to the music, laughing and chatting, and stopping to congratulate Spencer, who sat with Aria, Ezra, Hanna, Caleb, Toby, and Emily at the table in the very center of the room.

"So, some party, huh?" Hanna said, almost yelling over the din.

"It's great," Spencer said, shooting her best friends an appreciative smile. "Thank you guys so much for this."

"We love you," Aria told her, squeezing her hand. "And this is our way of thanking you for being so…"

"Amazing," Emily supplied.

"Loyal," Hanna added.

"Dependable," Aria continued.

"Generous," Toby threw in.

"Brave," Ezra smiled.

"Know-it-all," Caleb added with an eye-roll that made them all laugh, even Spencer.

"Well, I love you guys, too." Spencer grinned.

"I propose a toast," Emily said, lifting her champagne flute. "To Spencer. We love you, and we're so glad to have you in our lives."

"To Spencer!" the others chorused, clinking their flutes together.

Spencer smiled, so touched that she had such loving, amazing friends. She looked at Toby, who gently squeezed her hand. "I love you, Spencer," he whispered.

She brushed her thumb across his knuckle tenderly. "I love you, too,"

Toby sighed happily, holding onto Spencer's hand, his own palm beginning to sweat. How was he supposed to ask her? Where to go?

Almost as if sensing his plight, his phone buzzed. Pulling it out, he looked at the message:

_Outside. There's a gazebo. Sweep her off her feet loverboy :) –Aria_

Toby shot Aria a smile across the table, where she was cuddling next to Ezra. Smiling back, she mouthed, _go_.

"Uh, Spencer," he whispered shakily, the nerves fully kicking in. "Can we go outside for a sec?"

"Is something wrong?" Concern flitted across Spencer's face.

"No, I just have to…ask you something. In private," he added.

"Okay," she replied quizzically.

Once they had exited the buzzing party, Toby led her over to the gazebo a few feet away from the club entrance.

"What's going on?" Spencer asked, confused and concerned. She glanced at Toby in mild alarm.

Toby swallowed hard. Slowly, he bent down on one knee, pulling out the ring box and looking up at his shocked girlfriend.

"Spencer, every single second that I'm with you has been amazing. The last four years have been the best of my life, and I want you to be with me for the rest of my life. I love you so, so much that it hurts. I love every thing about you, from your laugh to how you correct my grammar to how you dance alone in our bedroom when you think I'm not looking. I honestly cannot imagine my life without you in it, and every day I fall more in love with you. Will you marry me, Spencer?" He finished breathlessly.

Spencer was stunned. She couldn't believe Toby was asking her to become his wife. Hot, joyful tears trickled down her cheeks. "Toby, are you serious?" she asked, looking down at him.

He nodded.

"Oh my God, Toby," she whispered. "Yes. Yes!"

He slid the glittering diamond onto her finger and she looked at it in joyful disbelief before falling into his arms. He wrapped his arms around her, shielding her from all the evil of the world. Lovingly stroking her dark wavelets, he tilted her chin up, brushing away her happy tears with the pads of his thumbs.

"I love you so much," he breathed, holding her close.

"I love you, too," she responded tearfully. "Toby…how long have you…?"

He laughed, close to tears himself. "A while," he answered, stroking her hair. "I thought it would be the best birthday gift for the girl I love."

Her eyes filled with fresh tears. "_You're_ the only gift I could ever need, Toby."

He looked down at her, a tear falling down his cheek. "Thank you, for making me believe in love. For making me realize that no matter how bad things get, there's always hope, there's always possibility."

She gripped his hands in hers. "When we met, I was in such a bad place, but you-you became my rock. My salvation. My world. And…you still are, and always will be."

Their lips touched, and there was fire and heat and passion and tenderness and want and need. There was French verbs and Scrabble games and rocking chairs and trucks and true, pure, real love. The kind only they could have.

"Toby," Spencer whispered as they finally pulled away. "We're getting _married_."

He laughed. "I know, baby," he grinned. "I can't wait until you're Mrs. Cavanaugh."

"Neither can I," she giggled. _Giggled. _Spencer Hastings did not giggle. At least not often, anyway.

As the newly-engaged couple headed back to Spencer's party, she stopped. "Hey," she grinned, "I was right. This was the best birthday ever."

Laughing, he kissed his new fiancée, feeling happier than he ever had, knowing that whatever came next, he would have her right there by his side.

**-:-fin-:-**

**So there it is! Hope you guys liked Toby's much-awaited proposal! I had a lot of fun writing it! So I was thinking of doing a sequel, basically the Spoby wedding; what do you think?**

**Until the next time!**

**~Ana**


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